Logan Smothers looked adequate in the Fordham and Northwestern games. Granted, it's hard to compare those situations to the starting Minnesota defense.
I've spoken in other threads about how that time frame isn't as realistic nor as easy as many like to make it.
At the end of this year we are likely 4-8 or 3-9. So in 4 seasons frost will have 15-16 wins. Riley got 19 in 3 years. What is so difficult to average more than 4 wins per year?
And the program when Frost took over was in the exact same place when Riley took over. (Sarcasm)
I think it just depends a bit on if you buy that he wanted to take the long road and do a tear down and complete rebuild to continue to try to patch together with the parts he had. He said he wanted a tear down and rebuild to get it right. He was given 7 years to do that. He tore it down, for sure. He didn't play guys that thought they were bigger than the program, he didn't play guys that handled themselves poorly off the field, he didn't play guys that weren't putting in the work in training and practice, etc. Some of them got their heads right and worked harder. Some of them bolted. But it left an already pretty bare cupboard now really bare, no doubt about it. He tore it down, and I believe the product on the field looks like he's building it back up. Most of the guys that bolted didn't get their heads right anywhere else which lends a bit of credibility to Scott's side of things. I think if you really look, outside of the wins and losses, at what has taken place over 3 years, you have to be pretty proud of it. A lot of people getting bent out of shape over records but I really think that, going 6-4 or 7-5 isn't all that different from going 5-7 in the grand scheme of things. Either way you don't have a football team that is really competing for anything other than a participation trophy. What we really want is to be 11-1. So who cares if Riley's record was better, or Bo's, or even Billy C's. Even with better records we still were a joke. We don't feel like a joke this year for the first time in 10-15 years. If we can build on where we are currently at, we can start moving the win number in my opinion, and then hopefully the doubters will come on over.
And here is where you fell off the tracks for me. Going 6-4 or 7-5 means bowl eligibility. That means more practices and reps for your kids and their development(I guess that is what some believe this staff is doing now). In the moment, yes participation trophey record wise. BUT in the long run and grand scheme of things, invaluable time missed out on cause getting 6 wins is too much of a hill to climb these days
I’ve heard this sentiment for 20 some years and I’m just not sure it’s near as significant as our fan base makes it out to be. 10 practices 6 months prior to spring practices are not the end all be all we make them out to be. It’s just mud we sling around when we are grumpy and bored in early December.